The Old Ghost Road

 I recently completed a "stroll though the hills" along the Old Ghost Road with my fellow tramper Ian and two of his mates. This is around 85km taking 5 days. The huts are of high a standard and well equiped with cooking facilities, crockery and cutlery etc.

The following photos were taken with my trusty Apple iPhone. After lugging my Canon with me on the Kepler Track, I decided that with a heavier pack there would be no room for it. This decision turned out the be the right one as the weather changed dramatically on Day 4 and 5. (As it was may watch was "drowned" and developed a terminal case of corrosion.)

Day 1 - Lyell to Lyell Saddle hut, 18 km

Ian and I at the start of our tramp of 85 km.

Tracks like The Old Ghost Road and many others in New Zealand are well sign posted with information boards along the way.

The start of the track is along the old dray road built after gold was discovered. The gradient being easy as a considerable part of the track is a also a cycle one, being a grade 5 mountain bike track in places. (Walking bikes is recommended in places.)

Ian, Lou and Rob following behind at the start early on Day 1.

Several towns along the way followed the gold rush and have all but disappeared into the bush.

Rusting relics are all that is left behind with several stamping batteries located closer to the river. We didn't investigate any and of these.

Rob investigating the remains of a later hut at 8 mile. The gold had petered out around here. This was about as far as the dray road went.

From here on the track resurrected a pack track that was supposed to become a proper road but never happened.  

Lyell Saddle Hut  was reached after a six and a half hour tramp, stopping often to enjoy the landscape and history. Plenty of time left to meet our fellow walkers from Australia and a group  of 5 from Hawkes Bay.

Day 2 - Lyell Saddle Hut to Ghost Lake Hut, 13 km

A five and a half hour tramp today above the bush line for some spectacular views.

Time for a break near the bush line.

Looking back to the Upper Buller Valley towards Murchison.

Above the bush line to see a small shelter near the saddle.

Emergency shelter, Old Ghost Road.

Arriving at the shelter just on midday we found others there who had the billy boiling and cell phone coverage! Time to call home, one of the few places on the track high enough to pick up coverage.

However there was no time to linger here as the wind chill meant a short stop. Further on I found a suitably placed picnic table in a more sheltered position for lunch.

Old Ghost Road track

Tombstone rock

From here the track started to descend to the next hut, Ghost Lake Hut.

Well equipped hut although I don't think to coffee jugs are meant to go on the gas burner.

Day 3 - Ghost Lake Hut to Stern Valley Hut, 12 km

 I mentioned others on the trip earlier from Hawkes Bay. They had food drops organised for each hut. 

Most huts on these big walks have helipads. The composting toilets have their tanks flown out and 45kg gas bottles flown in as well as fuel for hut heating.

Helicopters come in handy to drop off bikes, food and people.
Good for taking away accumulated rubbish too.

Ghost Lake from the hut

From the hut the track drops down to the lake then climbs steeply a short distance, down again before climbing back up to another ridge line.

Ghost Lake Hut on the way past its namesake lake.

Moving on the track has climb past the lake, then a descent, top right and an ascent, bottom left up to a ridge.

Looking back to the hut.

Ridge line track, Ghost Lake Hut centre to the right of the clouds.

A good section for mountain bikes along the ridge before a terrifying drop down via the Skyline steps into the Stern Valley and hut for the night. Unfortunately no photos of the steps which involve carrying your bike. (Google Skyline steps for photos and videos posted.)

Dropping down into Stern Valley we entered the beech forest for an easy walk to Stern Valley Hut.

I've included two shots here of some streams on our way to the hut. Two days later they would be carrying a significant flow of water as we encountered on Day 5.

Lunch stop

Six and half hours after leaving Ghost Lake we arrived a Stern Valley Hut.

Day 4 - Stern Valley to Specimen Point

This day was a long 25km hike taking nearly 9 hours.  This part of the track went through areas that had been significantly affect by recent major earthquakes; in 1929 centred on Murchison and 1968 near Inangahua. 

Earnest Valley lake

This part of the walk went through areas where massive landslides occurred during the earthquakes which dammed several parts of the valley to form these lakes. Brightly coloured reeds standing out against the green bush.

The Boneyard.

From here the track went up the side of the hills and traversed across an area where the side of the mountain collapsed and a massive landslide fell away. The white granite boulders forming the dam in the valley for the lake to build up here were the "bones" of the mountain. Unfortunately no photo of the spectacular slip.

Fungi group

Nearing the Forks Hut it started to rain. Time to get the parkas out at the hut.

By the time we got to Specimen hut it was raining heavily.

Day 5 - Specimen Point to Seddonville. Heavy rain all night!

I slept well after I couldn't decide whether to noise was the rain on the roof or the river roaring. In the morning it must have been both.

Last day in typical West Coast rain. the day was like walking through a waterfall for just over 4 hours to complete 17km. In fact there was so much water cascading down the hills that we did walk through several waterfalls and parts of the track were mini rivers to go through.

We did stop several times to get the phone out. (A decision not to bring my camera was the right one on this occasion.) This is where I took a number of movies as well as stills.

Mokihinui Gorge

There are around 28 bridges over streams and rivers on the Old Ghost Road. They are well above water level and are essential for safe travel in all weathers.

Rob capturing the flooded Mokihinui river

The following photos of bridged side streams contrast those of two days ago in Stern Valley. Rivers rise quickly on the West Coast but also fall quickly when the rain stops.

Even though I emerged at the end of the track at the Rough and Tumble somewhat wet through, the rain and roaring flooded river completed a memorable 5 days.

Buller Adventure tours provide an excellent car relocation service. Thanks Barry for your follow up calls.

Godley Hut

Members of the South Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Alpine Club recently spent the weekend up at Godley Hut with the purpose of putting a third coat of paint on the exterior. 

Surveying the scene before the walk in.

Although a public road from Lilybank, the track is through and across numerous stretches of water and bumps over boulders where parts have been washed out. A great job driving by Rob with Gary navigating the 30 km to the "parking lot" in 3 hours. Another hour's walk gets to the hut around the corner at the right.

The Maud Glacier with terminal face (centre photograph) in the lake.

The hut used to be green but had been given a coat of its original (or as close too) orange colour. A second coat of paint was done in about 2 hours on a warm bright sunny Saturday afternoon." Many hands make light work."

Gary and Rob roped up, paint brushes in hand.

Godley Hut after a fresh coat of paint

Godley Hut with its rock foundations.

The is at an altitude over 1,100m in heavily glaciated area. The views and rock layers are worth the effort to get there. After finishing the painting we had a few hours to explore and walk up the Godley River to another glacial lake on Sunday morning.

Time for a brew after finishing the painting and other tasks.

Photos in the hut book show a different picture in 1972 with ice filling the area in front of where this photo was taken.

Moraine left behind and a glacier just hanging on.

The layers of sedimentary rocks are most greywacke and argillite.  Greywacke of a very hard compacted sandstone whilst argillite is a mudstone which splits more easily. When these layers of sediment were laid down over several hundred million years they were in horizontal parallel layers. Earth movements have uplifted, tilted and twisted the rock layers as the Southern Alps were formed. The evidence is very clearly seen here.

Mt Moffat, 2638m with its hanging glacier

Shattering layers of rocks tilted to vertical.

A closer view with a chaotic pile of rubble.

A coarse grained sandstone showing signs of high compression.

Highly contorted argillitic mudstone.

A quick walk on Sunday morning saw us at the terminal lake of the Godley Glacier. This lake was not here in 1972!!!

Lake Godley. This is as far was we could go.
The lake goes around to the right to the terminal face.

It was time to go back to the hut, put the billy on then tidy up for the long trek out and down the river valley and home nearly 6 hours later. Thanks to the Alpine Club for including me as "official photographer and assistant painter".

Lake Grey on the way back on Sunday.

Kepler Track 3

 Day 3

After a hard day yesterday, the walk today was easy, 16.2km in around 6 hours. Down through the beech forest following the Iris Burn. 

The track from the Iris Burn Hut starts off through dense forest and openeds out a little further down as the following two photos show.

One noticeable difference from the Paparoa Track were the relative abundance of birds. Traps are set out approximately every 400m and judging by the odour near some, are successful in dealing with predators.

Birds heard during the tramp:  Kiwi, ruru (morepork), kaka

Birds seen: Piwakawaka (fantail), Korimako (bellbird), Matata (Fernbird) , Kereru (Wood pigeon), Toutouwai (NZ Robin), Titpounamu (Rifleman), Miromiro (Tomtit).

Friendly robin

Less than 50cm away on my camera bag

I did not carry any other lenses with me so there are no photos of other birds. It was enough to carry my DSLR and 15-85mm lens without any extra weight.

On this day and the next, there were many trees which had fallen or been blown over. Part of the natural cycle in the forest involves recycling of nutrients so that a healthy ecosystem survives. At the time I walked the Kepler, Southland and the Fiordland National Park was is a very dry almost drought like situation. The only readily seen fungus was the following species growing the side of a dead trees.

Millions of browns spores released to catch in the wind and spread to other hosts.

Hollow log

Emerging fungus

Common fungi - name?

The hut on the shores of the lake was a welcome sign after a pleasant day's walk.

Moturau Hut

The hut warden Phil, gave us an interesting history of the lake and the building of the power station for the aluminium smelter in bluff. This took place down on the lake shore in front of the hut where the developing sunset added extra interest to cap off the day.

Late evening, Lake Manapouri

Lake Manapouri sunset

The alarm was set for early next morning!

Day 4

Today Ian and I aimed to be home before 6 pm.

After an early breakfast and pack up we left the hut just before 8:00am, before sunrise. We had a 90 minute walk to get to the car at Rainbow Reach by 9:30

Waiau River

Because of a the lack of rain, both lakes were at very low levels and the flow in the river had been cutback to 85 cumecs.

Back to the car and short drive around to have a shower and change into fresh clothes it was off home, 520 km away.

Lunch stop, Kawarau River at Roaring Meg

Return to start, Day 1 or  Day 2